You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2027 County Handicap Hurdle Preview
First run in 1920, the County Hurdle is a Grade 3 handicap run on the new course at Cheltenham, where runners face eight hurdles over two miles and one furlong. Usually run at a fast and furious pace, it was traditionally the festival finale "Get Out Stakes!" until 2009, whereas it's now the second race on Gold Cup Friday.
The race has produced some successful winners. Rooster Booster (2002) went on to win the Champion Hurdle the following year, and State Man (2022) also went on to win the Champion Hurdle, albeit two years later.
Master the County Handicap Hurdle with our expert analysis of past race data and trainer records, and enhance your betting strategy with our selection of Cheltenham free bets.
County Handicap Hurdle Information:
- County Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
- County Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- County Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
If you are interested in other predictions at Cheltenham, then head over to the Cheltenham tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival, and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the County Handicap Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2008, when the race had an over-round of 130%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 145%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the County Handicap Hurdle, the over-round has been 134%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £134 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 County Handicap Hurdle Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the County Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run County Handicap Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:
- Pedrobob (3:53.90) in 2007
- Final Approach (3:54.77) in 2011
- Superb Story (3:55.50) in 2016
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the County Handicap Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +6.92. Whilst we wait for the 2027 County Handicap Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2024 renewal when Absurde from W P Mullins under the guidance of Paul Townend, won in a time of 4:25.10, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Pedrobob, trained by Anthony Mullins and ridden by P A Carberry set the quickest time of 3:53.90 in the 2007 renewal.
County Handicap Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the County Handicap Hurdle past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse that won, and the horse's age & weight. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the County Handicap Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 4:06.14 | Wilful (IRE) 7yo 11-2 14/1 | Jonjo O'Neill Jr Jonjo & A J O'Neill (GB) |
| 2025 4:05.57 | Kargese (FR) 5yo 11-3 3/1F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 4:25.10 | Absurde (FR) 6yo 10-10 12/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 4:06.12 | Faivoir (FR) 8yo 10-7 33/1 | Bridget Andrews Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2022 4:01.25 | State Man (FR) 5yo 11-1 11/4F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 4:02.27 | Belfast Banter (IRE) 6yo 10-0 33/1 | Kevin Sexton Peter Fahey (IRE) |
| 2020 4:02.42 | Saint Roi (FR) 5yo 10-13 11/2F | Barry Geraghty W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 4:04.85 | Chtibello (FR) 8yo 11-5 12/1 | Harry Skelton Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2018 4:18.00 | Mohaayed (GB) 6yo 10-8 33/1 | Bridget Andrews (3lbs) Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2017 4:00.00 | Arctic Fire (GER) 8yo 11-12 20/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the County Handicap Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 13 winners with an additional 27 placings from 199 runners
- GB: 7 winners with an additional 33 placings from 291 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2026 County Handicap Hurdle Replay
County Handicap Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the County Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race eight times, with those eight winners coming from Thousand Stars (2010), Final Approach (2011), Wicklow Brave (2015), Arctic Fire (2017), Saint Roi (2020), State Man (2022), Absurde (2024) and Kargese (2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the County Handicap Hurdle are Dan Skelton (4 wins) and Paul Nicholls (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the County Handicap Hurdle. Gordon Elliott (0-32), Nicky Henderson (0-31), Philip Hobbs (0-24), Noel Meade (0-14), Alan King (0-12), Henry De Bromhead (0-12), Jonjo O'Neill (0-12) and David Pipe (0-11) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top County Handicap Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 61-8-19 | +45.25 | +29.45 |
| Dan Skelton | 20-4-6 | +70.00 | +40.01 |
| Paul Nicholls | 24-2-4 | +9.00 | +2.20 |
| A J Martin | 5-1-3 | +6.00 | +4.88 |
| Thomas Mullins | 3-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.50 |
| T Hogan | 2-1-1 | +49.00 | +30.25 |
| Peter Fahey | 2-1-1 | +32.00 | +19.63 |
| Jonjo & A J O'Neill | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.75 |
| Anthony Mullins | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.50 |
| Gordon Elliott | 32-0-5 | -32.00 | -18.62 |
County Handicap Hurdle Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the County Handicap Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Wicklow Brave (2015), Arctic Fire (2017), State Man (2022), Absurde (2024) and Kargese (2025). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the County Handicap Hurdle are Harry Skelton (2 wins) and Bridget Andrews (2 wins). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the County Handicap Hurdle; Sam Twiston-Davies has ridden 13 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top County Handicap Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 17-5-6 | +50.75 | +28.73 |
| Harry Skelton | 10-2-4 | +12.00 | +6.75 |
| Bridget Andrews | 6-2-2 | +62.00 | +37.26 |
| Jonjo O'Neill Jr | 5-1-1 | +10.00 | +4.75 |
| Kevin Sexton | 2-1-1 | +32.00 | +19.63 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 13-0-0 | -13.00 | -13.00 |
| Danny Mullins | 9-0-3 | -9.00 | -1.74 |
| Mark Walsh | 8-0-1 | -8.00 | -6.75 |
| Jack Kennedy | 7-0-2 | -7.00 | -1.49 |
| Nico de Boinville | 6-0-2 | -6.00 | -1.50 |
2027 County Handicap Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 25, 2, 6, 23, 15, 14, (9, F), PU, 13, (4, PU), 6, 16, 4, 1, 10, 1, 17, 2, 1, 6
The percentage shown is the proportion of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Within the first 17 of the market
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Beaten no more -19l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - No bigger than 15/2 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - No bigger than 12/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Fewer than 3 races (Class)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - No bigger than 50/1
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 10 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 6 races (Further)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 3 wins (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not in a LST/Cl5-6 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Highest Placed is not Cl3/Cl5
- 19 / 20 (87%) - No more than -21lbs (Vs Max Weight)
- 19 / 20 (89%) - Not fallen (Season)
- 18 / 20 (80%) - Achieved an RPR of 136+ (Career)
- 18 / 20 (83%) - No bigger than 20/1 (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the County Handicap Hurdle. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the County Handicap Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
County Handicap Hurdle Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +66.25, is when runners ran in France on debut.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 1 career win at the track, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-70.
The course which has produced the most winners of the County Handicap Hurdle is Leopardstown; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 463 runners, while female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 28 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the County Handicap Hurdle; that stallion, Coastal Path, has produced 2 winners (2023,2020).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the County Handicap Hurdle despite multiple attempts:
- Montjeu (0 Wins from 12 runners)
- Arcadio (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Authorized (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Fame And Glory (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 7 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Silver Jaro in 2008, winning for T Hogan at odds of 50/1 under the guidance of Noel Fehily. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2027 County Handicap Hurdle, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the County Handicap Hurdle
Many trainers target races as preparation for the County Handicap Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Wilful Windsor - 2nd of 14 (313/100) | Fitzdares Sovereign Handicap Hurdle |
| 2025 - Kargese Ascot - 2nd of 7 (2/5) | BetMGM Mares Hurdle |
| 2024 - Absurde Leopardstown - 4th of 10 (33/1) | Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle |
| 2023 - Faivoir Newbury - PU of 16 (25/1) | Newbury Handicap Hurdle |
| 2022 - State Man Limerick - 1st of 14 (1/6) | Follow Limerick Racecourse On Twitter |
| 2021 - Belfast Banter Naas - 2nd of 7 (6/1) | Paddy Power Betting Shop Novice Hurdle |
| 2020 - Saint Roi Tramore - 1st of 14 (5/2) | David Flynn Building Contractors Maiden Hurdle |
| 2019 - Chtibello Aintree - 2nd of 11 (20/1) | Merseyrail Handicap Hurdle |
| 2018 - Mohaayed Kempton - 3rd of 4 (20/1) | Christmas Hurdle |
| 2017 - Arctic Fire Leopardstown - 2nd of 5 (8/1) | Irish Champion Hurdle |
Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival
Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day, when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle. The feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle | Old Park Star (IRE) 6yo - 15/8 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Arkle Challenge Trophy | Kargese (FR) 6yo - 7/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Saratoga (IRE) 4yo - 10/1 | Padraig Roche Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase | Johnnywho (IRE) 9yo - 18/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Richie McLernon |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 7yo - 7/5 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Plate | Madara (FR) 7yo - 3/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 17:20 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Holloway Queen (IRE) 6yo - 12/1 | Nicky Henderson James Bowen |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival
The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it, and some don't!
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Turners Novices Hurdle | King Rasko Grey (FR) 6yo - 11/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Brown Advisory Novices Chase | Kitzbuhel (FR) 6yo - 11/1 | W P Mullins Harry Cobden |
| 14:40 Cheltenham BetMGM Cup | Jingko Blue (FR) 7yo - 9/2 | Nicky Henderson James Bowen |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Cross Country Chase | Final Orders (GB) 10yo - 7/1 | Gavin Cromwell Conor Stone-Walsh |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase | Il Etait Temps (FR) 8yo - 5/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Johnny Henderson Grand Annual | Martator (FR) 9yo - 66/1 | Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Champion Bumper | The Mourne Rambler (IRE) 5yo - 15/2 | Noel Meade Colin Keane |
Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival
Halfway through the festival and onto day three, where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last up the Cheltenham hill.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Mares Novices Hurdle | White Noise (IRE) 6yo - 40/1 | Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls Tom Bellamy |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Novices Limited Handicap Chase | Meetmebythesea (IRE) 6yo - 9/1 | Ben Pauling Ben Jones |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Close Brothers Mares Hurdle | Wodhooh (FR) 6yo - 5/6 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle | Home By The Lee (IRE) 11yo - 33/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien J J Slevin |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Ryanair Chase | Heart Wood (FR) 8yo - 9/2 | Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Pertemps Network Final | Supremely West (IRE) 8yo - 100/30 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Ask Brewster (IRE) 7yo - 22/1 | Mrs C Williams Mr S Cotter |
Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival
The final day of the festival and the feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle | Apolon De Charnie (FR) 4yo - 50/1 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 14:00 Cheltenham County Handicap Hurdle | Wilful (IRE) 7yo - 14/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase | Dinoblue (FR) 9yo - 11/8 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle | Johnnys Jury (IRE) 6yo - 20/1 | Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup | Gaelic Warrior (GER) 8yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Hunters Chase | Barton Snow (IRE) 9yo - 9/2 | J J O'Shea Mr Henry Crow |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle | Air Of Entitlement (IRE) 7yo - 10/1 | Henry De Bromhead Patrick M O'Brien |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this County Handicap Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal Races at the Cheltenham Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Cheltenham racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in January
Races in January (Festival Trials Day)
- Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase
- Classic Novices' Hurdle
- Cleeve Hurdle
- Cotswold Chase
- International Hurdle
- JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial
- Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase
Races in April
Races in October (Showcase Meeting)
Races in November (November Meeting)
- Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase
- Hyde Novices' Hurdle
- Shloer Chase
- Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase
- JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
- Paddy Power Gold Cup
- Greatwood Hurdle
- November Meeting Handicap Chase
